Carry
by MissMandS
Summary: The hobbit reminds Tauriel of a baby bird that has fallen from its nest. She finds him among the dead bodies, lying in a pool of blood where Thorin Oakenshield previously lay. Everyone else is in tents, being tended to in the hopes there is a chance for survival. But the hobbit lies here, curled up in a ball and sniffling. He gives no resistance when she picks him up.
1. Chapter 1

The hobbit reminds Tauriel of a baby bird that has fallen from its nest. She finds him among the dead bodies, lying in a pool of blood where Thorin Oakenshield previously lay. Everyone else is in tents, being tended to in the hopes there is a chance for survival. But the hobbit lies here, curled up in a ball and sniffling. He gives no resistance when she picks him up, leaning into her and clutching her armor.

"Are you all right? Do you need a healer?" Tauriel asks.

"No, I need my home. I need Bag End." She knows very little about hobbits, her knowledge limited to what she has read in books and heard of from other elves in Mirkwood. But even with her limited knowledge she can see, everyone see that this creatures does not belong on a battlefield.

He doesn't look at the bodies, at the death and destruction left behind by the greed, staring instead at the sky. One look in his eyes tells her that he doesn't have to look around him, that he's already going to be plagued by nightmares. He doesn't need to look at the bodies, when everything he's loved is already gone. He doesn't need to look at the destruction when everything he worked so hard to help get back is gone.

"Are they all alive? All of the company of Thorin Oakenshield?"

"Yes though their wounds vary from minor to major. They are in need of healers and bed rest." A hint of a smile twitches at the corner of the hobbit's lips as he nods.

"Oh, good. That's all I wanted you know? For them to get their home back, to be happy here and to learn to value all a home above gold. That is all I ever wanted for them."

"And you master hobbit? What do you want for yourself?"

"Home, please I just want to go home. I've seen mountains, faced down giant spiders and even rode in barrels. And that's enough adventure for me, I need to go home."

"Okay master hobbit, let's go home."

They cannot go home immediately. Despite his attempts at convincing the wizard and Thranduil that really, he's fine to travel they don't believe him. Tauriel stands back and watches as both of them look the hobbit over.

"There will be scars of course and I fear that sometimes these injuries will bother you. There is only so much I can do for them." Thranduil says quietly.

"I'm so sorry to have lead you into such peril Bilbo Baggins. All these years you have given me courage and in return I lead you into this mess."

"I'm happy to have shared in this adventure Gandalf, perils and all." What he doesn't say is that he will be forever plagued by nightmares. That simple acts of kindness and love will mean the world to him because he never believed such things could exist again. That in this hellish world he's created for himself, there will be no more adventures, no more. That for the rest of his days Bilbo Baggins will be like a baby bird that's fallen from its nest and cannot get up, cannot fly anymore. He doesn't say this but it shows in his eyes and as Gandalf and Thranduil duck out of the tent, Tauriel pulls a chair up beside him.

"There will be no more perils today, no more evil. Sleep master hobbit."

"Bilbo. My name is Bilbo. The dwarves used to know that once. Now I am only thief, traitor to the crown."

"Sleep." She repeats and pulls her chair closer, watching as he once more curls into a ball. There are no tears this time, just the silent shaking of his shoulders as he lets out dry sob after dry sob.

* * *

I need this like oxygen. This will be about five chapters (as of right now) thought about making it into just one big story but decided to expand on it as I have far too many ideas for this.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author note has story time at the end but new update policy: they happen when they happen so don't ask me when.**

* * *

The peaceful moments are far and few between as Bilbo thrashes back and forth, lips mouthing the word 'no' over and over. His grip on the sheets is tight enough that his knuckles are turning white; his toes are curling in the sheets as he grits his teeth and twists.

Tauriel reaches out and runs a hand across his forehead and down his cheek, listening to the grinding of his teeth, his labored breaths through his nose.

"Can we see about getting something to wash the hobbit off?" Tauriel asks as the flaps of the tent part and Thranduil slips inside. Despite his lack of crown and the occasional wrinkles in his robes he still looks every bit of the regal king, even as he looks down at the sleeping hobbit. For a moment there's the briefest flash of worry in his eyes as he glances over the injured leg then it's gone.

"I will see about finding some soaps and some hopefully warm water for the halfling." The flaps of the tent open again to welcome the wizard who storms in angrily, his staff pounding the ground. Following after him is the dragon slayer Bard who wears his usual pinched expression.

"Mithrandir what can we do for you?" Thranduil asks.

"Thorin Oakenshield is awake and asking to see Bilbo. The dwarf is an absolute fool if he thinks that I will allow him to see Bilbo; it will startle the poor hobbit out of his skin. I told him so too. Save me from the stubbornness of dwarves." He growls.

"Is the hobbit even able to walk?" Bard asks.

"Yes, he will be able to walk. But I fear that he will need the aid of a cane if he exhausts himself or if he has to walk over great distances." Thranduil says and all eyes turn back towards the sleeping hobbit once more. He's stopped his twisting and turning but his grip on the sheets is still tight, his muscles stiff.

"See about getting him some things to wash up with. I will go talk to Thorin Oakenshield." Tauriel says.

* * *

She leaves her bow and daggers in the tent with Bilbo and does a quick scrub of her face, washing away any remaining traces of blood before she goes to the dwarfs' camp.

Somehow the scent of death is stronger here, the scent of herbs sharper and the metallic scent of blood heavier. Standing guard outside of the tent is a short, bulky dwarf who clutches his axes. His heavily lined face attempts a scowl only to fall as he sighs and looks away from them.

"Excuse my brother; he's not the one who was blessed with words. Balin, son of Fundin. Gandalf tells me that you are lady Tauriel."

"Yes, I am. I'm here to see Thorin Oakenshield." Balin nods and gestures for her to follow her inside the tent.

The inside of the tent feels stifling hot to Tauriel, making her breath catch in her throat as she moves towards the bed where Thorin Oakenshield lies. Despite the blanket pulled up to his waist she can see layers of bandages and stiches, covering his skin and threatening to consume him until there is no more dwarf remaining.

"Where is Bilbo?" Thorin asks and anger surges through her stomach.

"Are you not a proper king? Can you not even properly greet me first? And I hardly think you have any right to be enquiring about the hobbit whose very life you put into danger." Tauriel snaps. Thorin starts to glare at her, his brow furrowing only to sigh as he looks away from her and at the corner of his pillow instead. It only makes her angrier and she takes a deep breath, letting the anger grow in her chest, becoming hotter and hotter and until it comes out in the form of a hiss.

"You held a hobbit, a hobbit who you called your friend, your companion over a wall and for what? A stone, a stone that you need for what reasons? Does the stone offer you the same companionship of the hobbit? Does it offer you anything?"

"The Arkenstone is the king's jewel. Without it my people will not follow me, will not view me as a king."

"Then they are not your people. Whether you possess a stone or not should not be a judgment of what sort of king you are. The judgment of what kind of king you are should come from how you treat your inferiors. I have seen how you treat them and you are a very poor king indeed, stone or no." And with that Tauriel turns on her heel, walking out of the tent and away from the dwarf camp.

"I take it that the talk did not go very well?" Gandalf asks from his spot on the bed. He sits by a now awake Bilbo, puffing calmly on his pipe.

"I doubt even my lord Thranduil could have delivered a more thorough tongue lashing. Did he find you some soap?"

"Oh, yes, yes he did. Personally, none of them smell as good as any of my soaps from the Shire but they're still lovely." Bilbo says quietly. Gandalf chuckles between puffs, shaking his head at Bilbo.

"Leave it to a hobbit to comment on the quality of elven soaps compared to Shire soaps. Well I'm off to see if I cannot undo the damage that the stubbornness of dwarves has done. Bilbo, I leave you in the very capable hands of lady Tauriel."

Both of them look towards the chair where a small basin of water sits along with a variety of soaps and some washcloths. Draped over the back of the chair are some fresh clothes, all of which she suspects will be too big for the hobbit. Who she notes is staring at the clothes with a bright red blush slowly creeping up his neck.

"Well then. Shall we get started?" Tauriel's words only make the blush crawl up faster as he clears his throat.

"Yes. We shall."

* * *

I have a story to share with you all today. As some of you may know, I am a very strong supporter of the LGBT community and will not stand by when I see any sort of homophobia, transphobia, even if it's just a little side comment. Well there is someone on my Facebook who had posted something and with it, posted a quote from the Bible which said if a man laid with another man and also a woman it was an abomination. Okay. This woman also believes when she's sick it's the 'devil' attacking.

So I saw that. Thought about it. I saw homophobia, using religion as an excuse to be homophobic. So I thought about it some more and I go to Sir Ian McKellan and I take a picture of his quote which says he believes that the Bible should come with a disclaimer that it's fiction. You could say in that moment, shots were officially fired. Then I posted a picture of him wearing his some people are gay, get over it shirt and I believe I shall start doing like him and ripping the passage of Leviticus out of the Bible. Or just chucking it out the window.

She deleted me xD so in other words: LGBT and JoeyBear1424:  
Crazy Homophobic Bible Thumper: 0


	3. Chapter 3

Tauriel wrings the cloth out and turns towards the bed. Bilbo sits on the edge, his hands gripping the sheets and his eyes looking anywhere but directly at her.

"I'm going to wash your feet off. Is that okay?" Tauriel asks and the flush that previously covered his neck spreads across his face and up the tips of his ears as he gapes.

"Well that's only acceptable between married couples and family." Bilbo stutters.

"Ah I see, so it's like the touching of ears among the eldar?" Tauriel doesn't bat an eye as she stands up and lifts up his sleeves, bringing the cloth up to his arms.

"Yes it is." Bilbo says and the two fall into silence. He's stiff at first, his back rigid and his ankles crossed as if poised to run. As Tauriel wrings the cloth out and tints the water pink Bilbo winces, looking away from it.

"There are not any real baths readily available I'm afraid. But I will have someone bring up some fresh water and a comb for your foot hair." She pretends not to see him checking it or the furrow in his brow when he runs his hand over the tops of his feet as she turns and walks out of the tent.

She makes it only a few steps before she finds herself staring at Legolas' smiling face as he glances between her and tent. The smile doesn't quite reach his eyes though and when he looks back towards her there's a slight sadness in them.

"I've come to say goodbye. I have stayed for as long as I can." Legolas says.

"Where are you going?"

"North to find the Dunedain. My father told me that he believes there will be a ranger who I should someday meet."

"I wish you luck on your travels Legolas. Return someday with this ranger."

"What are you going to do Tauriel? Once the hobbit has healed I mean." For a moment there's a slight spark of amusement in his eyes but then it's gone.

"I have not given it any thought. It does not seem very much like home without you. It is not the place that we grew up in, not with the spiders and the evil that lies over it. And after seeing the orcs of Gundabad, I cannot see myself finding peace somewhere that evil has previously laid."

"Perhaps then you should go to the Shire. I have heard tales from Mithrandir that it is a peaceful place. Maybe it could offer you the peace that you're searching for Tauriel. Or perhaps one of its residents could help you find the peace that you search for."

"As I said I have not thought about it, I cannot so easily abandon everything I have ever known."

"Talk to my father Tauriel, tell him about your fears. And talk to the halfling about his home, it will help you make your decision." Legolas gives her a final smile and walks away.

* * *

Sorry, my muse wasn't wanting to work with me after watching the Battle of the Five Armies and I felt like a small 500 words chapter was more appropriate for the talk between Tauriel and Legolas then a huge chapter.

The next chapter will be a talk between her and Thranduil then the final chapter of Bilbo and Thorin then we will go onto the next part of the series.

Guest: I believe that we should all be able to believe in whatever we want to. If that's God, Buddah, Satan or nothing at all, whatever it is, praise it, do it, whatever you want. But don't shove it don't someone else's throat. That being said, I do not need to be told to think what a little faith could do for me. I do not go to church because I do feel judged and do not particularly enjoy someone telling me that if I do not repent I will go to hell. Repent from what?

Good for Tolkien, I did not know that. But that doesn't change my views of the Lord of the Rings. It's still just an amazing book series that is a book series.

Hel Opacare: My headcanon for Tauriel is that she's always admired and respected Legolas. And the reason Thrnaduil feels so strongly about not letting his son pledge himself to Tauriel is because her mother perished in Gunda Bad and he watched her father fade. In his final moments they agreed never to let their children feel the same pain they did. As for Kili, I feel like his feelings are just a passing thing of his youth. And for her, there's suddenly this dwarf who is paying attention to her and it makes her feel special and oh my gosh, it's so fun. But not really genuine again.

EverydayMagic17: I saw another thing posted by a different friend today that was a picture of the Bible saying this isn't the constitution and I just screamed yes, lol.


	4. Chapter 4

"I do not think I can return, not under the given circumstances." Tauriel cannot meet Thranduil's eye as she begins speaking, worried what she will find there if she lifts her head. She watches his robes instead as he stands and walks around the tent, listens as he pours himself some wine and to the evenness of his breathing. It's the only thing that is keeping her thundering heart from beating right out of her chest.

"You are too young to remember but it was not always like this. Not always this place of death and rot and evil. It was once—it was never full of love and laughter, nor was it full of music and life. It was never full of any of that. But it once had some life in it, life that was untouched by the rot and poison of the world that seeps into the hearts of each race, even our race."

"You are too young to remember your mother but I know that you know the story of how she perished in Gundabad alongside Legolas' mother. I watched your father fade, the life draining out of him with each day. It was like the fire that your mother had put there was extinguished, put out the second the orcs had slaughtered her. It was like that very second, all the life had been killed in the Greenwood and the poison seeped into it."

"My lord?"

"There was no Greenwood for your father without your mother and for Legolas there is no Greenwood after seeing the horrors of war. And I suspect that without Legolas there is no Greenwood for you."

"I have seen the results of dragon fire; people wandering and scavenging for food, desperate to find anything they can use. Children searching for their parents, screaming for them, searching and hoping that they can find someone, anyone they know. But nobody will help them because they're so desperate to help themselves and find their own families. The results of war; dwarves, elves, men lying in pools of their own blood, blood that isn't their own. Some of them are disemboweled and others are missing body parts, some of them missing bodies completely. And I wonder if their wives, their children, brothers, sisters are searching for them." Tauriel can see them on the land; can hear their screams as he turns.

He is moving again, coming towards her and reaching for her. Tauriel closes her eyes and waits, bracing herself. For what, she's not sure. A gentle touch is not what she expects. He has not used a gentle touch with her since she turned fifty and now he is touching her like she is a scared child again.

"There is nothing that can cleanse the poison that touches our land. It will never be the Greenwood again. Legolas has gone to find his own Greenwood, his own adventure free of battle. As should you Tauriel, one with rolling green hills and little rivers."

* * *

Hel Opacare: Well Carry is part one of a series and this one has five chapters planned out for it. The only reason these last two chapters and I suspect that the next one will only be five hundred words is because that works better for me than trying to crank out a very dialogue heavy chapter with no plot progress. This suits my needs better. Next chapter will be the last one and then the second part of the series will be written whenever I get the drive, time and the idea for it.


	5. Chapter 5

"You are not weak because you need the aid of a cane." Tauriel says quietly as they walk through the dwarven camp. Bilbo's jaw is clenched tightly, his eyes wide and his face white as a sheet. Thranduil flanks his other side, Gandalf in front of him and Bard walking behind him. He is completely surrounded, protected from view of the dwarves or anyone who tries to come near them.

"I am not scared of looking weak, I scared of…" Bilbo lets out a huff of air as they come to a stop in front of the royal tent. Dwalin doesn't attempt a glare or scowl as he inclines his head and pulls the flaps of the tent aside.

"Bilbo!" The cry from the blonde haired prince startles Bilbo as they step through the tent and his grip on the cane tightens.

"Yes, Fili it's me." Bilbo says quietly and steps closer to Tauriel, his hand seeking her tunic.

"Are you going to come any closer master burglar?" Thorin does not sound annoyed or angry, not even hurt. His voice is dry, void of any emotions as he looks at the group that hides Bilbo from view.

"I fear if I try and take a step then I will fall. The walk here from the elves camp has made my leg ache—I wonder what the journey home will do to it. Beorn has agreed to put us up at his house for some time."

"Who will be accompanying you home?"

"Gandalf of course, he's promised to try and keep the adventures to a minimum. He seems hurt that I can't bring myself to believe his word but we know about the word of wizards." For a moment there's a small smile on his face and Tauriel sees the corners of Thorin's lips twitch.

"And the acorn, you will plant it?"

"Yes, I will plant it and watch it grow. As you watch Erebor grow, I shall watch my trees grow. Excuse me, please." And then Bilbo is taking hesitant steps forward, giving small mutters of 'sorry' with each step until finally he is at Thorin's bedside. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out an acorn, laying it on Thorin's bed.

"In case I lost my first one. One day it will grow and you every time look at it you can remember. Remember everything happened: the good, the bad and how lucky we all are that we made it home. And with each passing year, when you look at it, I hope there is something new for you to remember whether it be good or bad or lucky." Thorin shakes his head, a smile spreading across his face as he closes his hand around the acorn.

"Farewell master burglar, go back to your books and your armchair. Plant your trees and watch them grow."

"It's not farewell if it's only for…Farewell my friend." Bilbo leans down and presses his forehead against Thorin's, his cane clattering to the ground.

* * *

I had to do the acorn feels, I am so sorry. You really shouldn't watch the acorn scene at school because you will smile at your computer like an idiot then get weird looks from people. Next part of this series (yes, it's becoming a series) will be out when I say so unitl then Carry is COMPLETE!

And I have this headcanon which I am going to use for the last part of the series which will claw out all of your hearts and none of us will have hearts anymore.

Hel Opacare: It's not just you, I have such complex feelings towards Thranduil. Because he can be such an asshole but Lee Pace. Asshole but Lee Pace. Lee Pace. And he is a lot of fun to play with as a character. The end of the last movie just threw me for him because the feels came out of nowhere and I was like oh my God, he does have feelings deep down inside. There is a heart in there.

Guest: I respect your right to believe in my God please respect my right not to believe in God and not have it shoved down my throat. That's all I have left to say about that.


End file.
